Puppet Syndrome

Elena Hazanov : 2015
Sindrom Petrushki

Since early childhood Petya has been obsessed with the world of puppets, but his greater obsession is with a girl named Liza. He crafts his perfect woman out of her. But Liza is a real woman. She'd never submit to him completely. Their love is tested in the most brutal way – by the death of their son born with a severe genetic disease nicknamed Happy Puppet Syndrome. As Liza suffers, Petya creates himself a new muse – a sophisticated doll, Alice, a hauntingly identical copy of Liza. Petya has to make a choice: Liza or Alice? Life or art? Petya matches his talent against Fate, and wins his own happiness. Elena Hazanov's feature premiered in competition at Kinotavr Open Russian Film Festival 2015, and screened at Tbilisi International Film Festival 2015.

A Simple Goodbye

Degena Yun : 2015
Gaobie

The story of two generations unfolds through apparently disconnected moments. The story of Shanshan, who was sent to England to study when she was young and finds herself living a solitary life, involved in virtual relationships which pain her but which she can't do without; and that of a middle-aged father, who left his hometown as a young man, moved to Beijing and is now facing death. His feelings of helplessness involve the condition of the state-run film studio where he works, while his illness increasingly undermines him. Slowly but surely, the daughter begins to know her father, while the man remembers his past, his roots and his dreams. Degena Yun's second feature premiered at Tokyo International Film Festival 2015, and was winner of the Best Screenplay Award ex-aequo at its European premiere at Torino Film Festival 2015.

Hall

Jürgen Volmer : 2015
Grey

The forest is older than us, the parent of us all. In many nations' mythology the wolf is often a king of the forest, who hears, sees and knows everything. Little boy Mart lives in a cottage at the edge of the forest and something awful has happened in his family. The mother's efforts to save the daughter could bring success, but little Mart is too young to understand the ritual and puts at risk the fate of his family. A wolf always gets its share. Jürgen Volmer's short premiered in competition at Sleepwalkers International Short Film Festival 2015.

Hevn

Kjersti Steinsbø : 2015
Revenge

Rebekka's beloved younger sister has just committed suicide. Grieving, angry and seeking justice, Rebekka travels under false identity to an idyllic hotel situated in the majestic fjords of Western Norway. She is going to meet Morten Holand, the innkeeper and the town's "Golden Boy", with whom she shares a dark secret surrounding the death of her sister. Fixated on plotting her revenge against Morten, Rebekka sets out to destroy his perfect family life, turning his friends and the townsfolk against him. Soon it becomes apparent that Rebekka's actions have consequences for more than just Morten himself, as life in the village begins to unravel, and Rebekka must determine how far she will go to seek revenge. People often say that the end justifies the means, but are we really aware of the consequences of our actions, of the collateral damage, once we set in motion certain mechanisms in which lies and blindness, bad faith and hypocrisy play an essential role? Kjersti Steinsbø's feature debut is based on the novel The Doll in the Ceiling by Ingvar Ambjørnsen.

Barash

Michal Vinik : 2015

Seventeen-year-old Naama Barash enjoys alcohol, drugs and hanging out with like-minded friends. Her activities are an escape from a home where her parents always fight, and a rebellious, army-enrolled sister, who, one day, disappears. As a new girl, Hershko, shows up at school, Barash falls deeply in love for the first time, and the intensity of the experience at once confuses her and gives her life new meaning. An authentic and sensitive reflection of a contemporary youth that is bored and tired, extremely well-connected in its social bonds but clumsy in its human relations. Michal Vinik's film, her feature debut, premiered at San Sebastián International Film Festival 2015, and was winner of the Script Award, Best Actress and Best Actor for Israeli feature film at Haifa Film Festival 2015.

Hija de la laguna

Ernesto Cabellos Damián : 2015
Daughter of the Lake

Nélida is a young rural woman in the Andes who speaks with nature. She feels that she is the daughter of the lakes that the town depends on for life. But right below the waters, Yanacocha, the biggest mining corporation in Latin America, has discovered a gold deposit worth billions of dollars. The company comes with the support of the Peruvian government, in spite of the knowledge that the project implies the destruction of various lakes. The majority of the farmers in the area oppose this project because they fear they will lose their water. It is a fight for life or death. Ernesto Cabellos Damián's feature documentary premiered in competition at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival 2015, and had its European premiere at Semana Internacional de Cine de Valladolid 2015.